1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a payment system and method using a server apparatus and a communication network, as for various products or merchandises and their associated various services involving both (i) a purchase price or bill for the product such as a communication apparatus and (ii) a service fee for the associated service continually provided through the product such as a communication service. The present invention also relates to the server apparatus and a payment processing method therewith, as well as a computer program product to provide the payment system and/or the server apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been provided a payment system constructed in such a manner that a purchaser in his/her house and other situation, or a service clerk at the store, can submit a purchase application via a communication network with a computer apparatus disposed at the store or the house or with a portable computer, when the purchaser buys a product or merchandise in installments (i.e., on a loan). More concretely, a purchase application form is electronically completed by inputting or entering the data such as name, address, age, settlement account, product name, product reference number, via a keyboard and the like to fill entries in the purchase application form displayed, for example, on a screen of the computer apparatus, and the data therein is transmitted via the communication network. In response to this, an installment payment organization such as a loan company may examine about the allowability of the installment payment (e.g. credit checks, financial status checks, annual income checks) and inform the result via mail or e-mail.
On the other hand, there has been provided a payment system constructed in such a manner that simultaneously otherwise before or after purchasing the product, the purchaser or others can submit a service contract application via the communication network for a service involved or associated within the product, such as an information service or a network connection service supplied through mobile phones, computer apparatuses accessible via a network, or on-vehicle communication navigation apparatuses, as the product. More concretely, the service contract application form is electronically completed by inputting or entering the data such as name, address, age, credit card number, the kind of service, via a keyboard and the like to fill entries in the service contract application form displayed, for example, on a screen of the computer apparatus and the data therein is transmitted via the communication network. In response to this, a settlement service organization such as a credit company may examine about the allowability of the settlement service (e.g. credit card identifications, balance checks, payment performance record checks) and inform the result via mail or e-mail.
With regard to techniques to perform such an installment payment on the communication network, for example, the Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2002-117289 discloses a technique to propose an exemplary installment sale in a Net business. The Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2002-056292 discloses a technique to secure the credibility of the information about the purchaser for a mobile phone company through the leasing or the installment sale of the mobile phone. Each of the Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2001-256408 and the Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. Hei 11-296580 discloses a technique to control the transaction between a server of a seller and a server of a credit company in a Net business.
According to the payment system set forth above, however, the data for the installment payment application to the installment payment organization must be entered via the keyboard of the personal computer, for example, disposed at the store or the house, while the data for the settlement service application to the settlement service organization must be entered independently of the data entry for the installment payment application. Particularly, the common data between both two kinds of data entry, such as name, age, address, and telephone number must be entered on each application form. Therefore, through a whole transaction, the workload for the data entry is increased or the operation for the data entry is complicated, simultaneously the amount of the data input or the amount of the data to be processed becomes relatively large, causing such a technical problem that the lengthy and inefficient data processing or data management are inevitable to be performed in the computer apparatus. Further, since the prices or fees for the product and the service are independent of each other, it is difficult to recognize promptly the total running cost, if the service is provided through the settlement service after the purchase of the product in installments. Therefore, it is not easy for the purchaser to decide the purchase of the product and the associated service, causing another problem, i.e. the discouragement to purchasing it.